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Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available.

A Dark and Stormy Night

Explanation: It was a dark and stormy night . But on August 29th the red planet Mars, near its closest approach to Earth in almost 60,000 years, shone brightly in the sky against a background of stars in the constellation Aquarius . In the foreground of this scary view , huge thunder clouds are lit by lightning strokes from within. Mars , of course, has nothing to do with storms on Earth, though both have the power to excite the imagination and wonder of Earthdwellers . And who knows what luminous sights you might see if you go out tonight? Have a safe and Happy Halloween !

Date October 31, 2003
Credit Credit & Copyright: T. Credner & S. Kohle, AlltheSky.com
Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.